The Land Before Time

The Land Before Time
Directed by	Don Bluth
Produced by	Don Bluth Gary Goldman Kathleen Kennedy George Lucas Frank Marshall John Pomeroy Steven Spielberg
Written by	Judy Freudberg (story) Tony Geiss (story) Stu Krieger (screenplay)
Narrated by	Pat Hingle
Starring	Gabriel Damon Candace Hutson Judith Barsi Will Ryan Pat Hingle Helen Shaver Burke Byrnes Bill Erwin
Music by	James Horner
Editing by	John K. Carr Dan Molina
Distributed by	Universal Pictures Sullivan Bluth Studios
Release date(s)	November 18, 1988
Running time	80 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English Japanese German Italian French
Budget	USD$12,300,000 (estimated)
Gross revenue	USD$84,460,846 (worldwide)[1]
Followed by	The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure (1994)

The Land Before Time is an animated film, produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and directed by Don Bluth. It was originally released in movie theaters in 1988 by Universal Pictures and Sullivan Bluth Studios. It features anthropomorphic dinosaurs living in a somewhat fantasy-based version of prehistoric earth.

The film's plot concerns a young Apatosaurus named Littlefoot who becomes orphaned after the death of his mother, caused from injuries suffered while battling a malevolent Tyrannosaurus ("Sharptooth") and the effects of an earthquake. Littlefoot flees famine and upheaval to search for the "Great Valley", an area which has been spared devastation. During his journey, he encounters four young companions: Cera, a Triceratops; Ducky, a Parasaurolophus ; Petrie, a Pteranodon; and Spike, a Stegosaurus.^[2] The film explores issues of prejudice between the different species and the hardships they endure in their journey as they are guided by the spirit of Littlefoot's mother.

The film was a critical and financial success and spawned a dozen sequels as well as merchandise and a TV series.

Plot synopsis

The opening narrator explains that there is a drought, to escape which the dinosaurs are heading west for the Great Valley. During a storm, Littlefoot, a "Longneck" (Apatosaurus) is born from a last lonely egg. He is protected by his mother, grandmother, and grandfather, which is all that remains of his herd. When Littlefoot is older, his mother explains that the land is changing, and that they must reach the Great Valley. Later, Littlefoot encounters Cera, a "Threehorn" (Triceratops) and tries to befriend her, but Cera's father interrupts, saying that "Threehorns never play with Longnecks". Littlefoot's mother explains that every species keeps to itself, and reassures Littlefoot that there will be other Longnecks in the Great Valley with whom he may play. That night, Littlefoot and Cera are attacked by a "Sharptooth" (Tyrannosaurus rex), which pursues them relentlessly until Littlefoot's mother arrives and engages the carnivore in a battle. Sharptooth and Littlefoot's Mother trade blows as an earthquake erupts around them. She is mortally injured when Sharptooth tears open her back, but is able to protect the two juveniles while the Sharptooth, still bent on catching them, falls into a newly-opened ravine. After the earthquake, many herds and families are separated, including Cera's. Littlefoot searches for his mother and finds her succumbing to her injury. Before she dies, she asks Littlefoot to remember the way to the Great Valley, and reassures him that she will always be with him, even if he cannot see her.

Later Littlefoot, sad, angry, and confused, slides down a ravine and falls on an old ankylosauris named Rooter, who, upon learning the cause of his misery, makes the following speech to him: "It [Mother Longneck's death] is nobody's fault. The Great Circle of Life has begun. But see, not all of us arrive together at the end. ...you'll always miss her. But she'll always be with you, as long as you remember the things she taught you. In a way, you'll never be apart, for you are still a part of each other." When Littlefoot adds that he feels pain in his stomach, Rooter replies "Well, that too will go in time, little feller. Only in time" and departs. This encounter, though brief, remains one of the most poignant passages of the film.

Acting on his mother's advice, Littlefoot leaves for the Great Valley. When Cera has refused to join him, Littlefoot is greeted by Ducky, a baby "Bigmouth" (Parasaurolophus) at a lake. Though initially unwilling to let her travel with him, he soon warms to her cheerful personality When Littlefoot attempts to eat leaves from a nearby cycad, they encounter Petrie, a baby "Flyer" (Pteranodon) who cannot fly, who becomes the third of their companionship. Meanwhile, Cera encounters a comatose Sharptooth. Believing him to be dead, she charges at him mischievously, accidentally awakening him. As she flees, she meets up with the others, and tries to warn them about Sharptooth; Littlefoot, believing Sharptooth to be dead, refuses to believe her. Cera, while describing her encounter (embellishing the story to make herself appear less cowardly), accidentally flings Ducky into a patch of grass, where she meets a hungry "Spiketail" (Stegosaurus) hatchling whom she names Spike. This last becomes Ducky's especial charge and the final member of the band.

Seeking the Great Valley, the group eventually finds a river leading to a small forest, which is abruptly depleted by a herd of starving diplodocus. Searching for remaining growth, the band discover a single leaf-bearing tree and are able to obtain abundant food by literally holding each other up. Cera remains aloof and arrogant, preferring to boast of her prowess and independence, until nightfall whereafter the entire band individually gravitate to Littlefoot's sleeping-nest in order to conserve warmth. They are attacked and pursued in the morning by the Sharptooth, whom they escape by running through a cave-tunnel too small to admit him. They emerge near a monolith resembling a Longneck, which Littlefoot identifies as a landmark mentioned by his mother. They then cross wasteland, passing the volcanoes identified as a second landmark. Eventually, Cera becomes impatient and quarrels with Littlefoot after his search for the Great Valley yields no results, ultimately causing a schism and confusion in the companionship. Littlefoot, furious at his friends' behavior, continues his path, while the others attempt to find an alternate route. He later follows and rescues Ducky and Spike from a lava barrier and Petrie from a tar pit.

Meanwhile, Cera is being terrorized by three aggressive Pachycephalosaurus, whom Littlefoot and the others, disguised as a giant, tar-covered monster, scare away, laughing at Cera for being frightened of their ruse. Ashamed and humiliated, Cera leaves them, crying on her way out. On the next day, Littlefoot, Spike, Ducky, and Petrie are frolicking in a pond when the Sharptooth appears nearby. In order to stop him "once and for all", Littlefoot formulates a plan to lure the predator into the deep end of the pond and drown him by dropping a large rock from the edge of a nearby cliff onto his head. Ducky succeeds in luring Sharptooth into the water; but Littlefoot and Spike are unable to move the rock. Balanced well, he snaps at the struggling dinosaurs. Littlefoot and Spike let out a shriek. During the fierce struggles and pursuits that follow, a hot draft from the Sharptooth's nostrils enables Petrie to master his powers of flight. In the nick of time, Cera enters the battle and completes Littlefoot's plan, defeating Sharptooth for good. As the Sharptooth falls, he attempts to snatch Petrie, and it seems like Petrie went down with Sharptooth as the T-Rex gets struck by the falling rock, leaving the other juveniles to think their friend has drowned along with Sharptooth. However, Petrie later struggles onto the cliff, proving himself alive and uninjured.

After the battle, Littlefoot follows a cloud that seems to contain his mother's spirit to the Great Valley, which is revealed dramatically by an expanding beam of sunlight. He and his friends then descend into the Valley, where their surviving relatives are already settled. Petrie and Ducky rejoin their families, whereupon Ducky adopts Spike as a brother. Cera reunites with her father, while Littlefoot joins his grandparents. The film concludes with an indication of the protagonists' companionship.

Cast

Development

Like Disney's The Black Cauldron, which was made three years earlier, and Warner Bros./Zoetrope's The Outsiders, which was made five years earlier, The Land Before Time went under a severe cutting and editing of footage. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas thought that some scenes in the movie would appear too frightening or could even cause psychological damage to young children. Around 10 minutes of footage, a total of 19 fully animated scenes, were cut from the final film. Much of the cut footage consisted of the Tyrannosaurus rex attack sequence and sequences of the five young dinosaurs in severe situations of peril and negative stress. Don Bluth was unhappy with the cuts, and fought for all the footage, but in the end he had to settle on a final running time of 69 minutes, one of Don Bluth’s shortest.^[3]

Another part of the movie that was going to be eliminated was the death of Littlefoot’s mother. However, it was thought that if the scene were removed it would simply produce problems in explaining why Littlefoot had to journey to the Great Valley alone. In the end, psychologists were shown the scene and gave feedback to the production team. The character of Rooter was brought into the story to soften the emotional blow, and teach Littlefoot and the audience that although loved ones may die, they are always with us in the lessons that are learned from them.^[3]

Some scenes with the characters in the movie screaming were revoiced with them having milder exclamations.^[3]

Production notes

• Steven Spielberg and George Lucas originally wanted the film to have no dialogue, like The Rite of Spring sequence in Fantasia, but the idea was abandoned in favor of using voice actors in order to appeal to children.^[3]
• It was George Lucas's idea to make Cera a female Triceratops.^[3]
• Judith Barsi said, before her death preceding the releases of The Land Before Time and another Don Bluth film starring the actress, All Dogs Go to Heaven, that her role of Ducky was her favorite of her film roles, and Ducky's trademark line "Yep Yep Yep" is written in her and her mother's epitaphs.
• The film was originally planned for release in fall of 1987, but the production and the release date were delayed by a year due to the relocation of Sullivan Bluth Studios to Dublin, Ireland.
• Some of the music score in the closing credits was used in a trailer for Casper. Coincidentally, James Horner composed music for both films and Steven Spielberg produced both films.

Reception

The film was a box office success, grossing $48 million, as well as beating the Disney film Oliver & Company for the #1 spot during its opening weekend. It brought in a box office total of nearly $50 million during its domestic release, more than Don Bluth's previous film, An American Tail. The movie became a hit worldwide, grossing nearly $84 million worldwide, which Oliver & Company did not surpass. It is currently rated "B" at Box Office Mojo.

The theme song If We Hold On Together was sung by Diana Ross, and became a successful single especially in Japan where it reached # 1. It was also performed by Jordin Sparks on American Idol in 2007.

Legacy

Main article: The Land Before Time (series)

The movie generated many direct-to-video sequels. The sequels depart from the style of the original significantly by adding "sing-a-long" musical numbers akin to Disney animated films, and toning down the intensity seen in the original film. Don Bluth and his animation studio have no affiliation with any of the film's sequels.

A recent television series has been released in North America which follows the style of the sequels in terms of the morality and the musical numbers (with some of the songs being shortened, reworked versions of songs from the sequels).

Animals featured

• Ankylosaurus (seen traveling to and in the great valley)
• Archelon (seen in the introduction)
• Beetle
• Brachiosaurus *
• Apatosaurus (Littlefoot, his family, etc.) *
• Dimetrodon (Confronts the group while they are searching for the valley but ignores them)
• Diplodocus *
• Edmontosaurus
• Frog (referred to as "hoppers")
• Gekkota (seen watching baby Littlefoot)
• Iguanodon
• Labyrinthodont (seen watching baby Littlefoot)
• Parasaurolophus (seen traveling to and in the great valley)
• Pachycephalosaurus (an aggressive group terrorizes Cera, and some are seen in the great valley)
• Pluerosternon (seen in the introduction) *
• Pteranodon (Petrie, his mother and siblings, etc.)
• Saurolophus (Ducky, her family, etc.)
• Sauropelta (Rooter)
• Scutellosaurus (snatches a cherry from a group of baby pterosaurs)
• Spider
• Stegosaurus (Spike, etc.) *
• Struthiomimus (one attempts to steal Littlefoot's egg but fails)
• Teleosaurus (seen in the introduction)
• Triceratops (Cera, her father, etc.)
• Tyrannosaurus Rex (Sharptooth)
• Turtle
• Underwater lizards (seen in the introduction)
• Various lizards (seen with pterosaurs watching baby Littlefoot)
• Yabeinosaurus (seen watching baby Littlefoot)

Those with an asterisk were extinct by the time the movie was set.

References

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

The Land Before Time

The Land Before Time Funsite

• The Official Land Before Time Site
• The Land Before Time at the Internet Movie Database
• Detailed Info on The Land Before Time (including plot detail)
• The Land Before Time at Land Before Time Wiki.
• The Land Before Time at RetroJunk.com
• Official Merchandise at Kookys.co.uk

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